Customer Service at Park Slope Library
It seems that every time I am at the Park Slope branch library (usually Saturdays) I get terrible service from the check out and returns staff. The clerks at the desk are always deep in conversation with each other, and I have to wait for them to finish the latest neighborhood gossip before they acknowledge my existence. More often than not, they will physically have their backs turned! I went last Tuesday night to pick up a hold book, and the woman didn't even look me in the eye. I have such a great experience with my NYC library near work being friendly, but my Brooklyn home library makes me feel like I am interrupting them in the middle of something very important. I tend to get my reserved books from Brooklyn faster than NYC, but is it worth it? Am I just being overly-sensitive or are they that way with everyone else? (Hearing that they are just plain rude to others might actually make me feel a little better!)
Comments
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they are government employees, since when have government employees been nice?
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I have had similar experiences. When I go there they often have teenage girls at the counter that couldn’t care less. Last time I told one of them to try harder, she looked at me like I was nuts
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I also go on Saturdays, and I haven't had any problems...I've actually had discussions with them about books.
And reserve books are on the shelves, so there's no reason to ask the clerk about them - unless the website says it's supposed to be there and it's not...and when that has happened to me, the staff have looked all over to see if the book was misplaced. -
I work in Publishing, so I could be biased, but you could buy the book and get much better customer service from a bookstore. For example, it's Barnes & Noble company policy that if you ask a bookseller for help with a title, they must go get the book for you.
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Yes, but we can't all buy books all the time...and I've been in B&N, and I've had to look for the book I asked for by myself...I only get help when I can't find it...and lots of times it takes awhile to find someone (not the person's fault-just that there's not always a lot of staff around).
I used to buy books all the time (and there are still books I must own); but books have gotten so expensive, the library is the way to go. -
The solution is Barnes and Noble, but make sure you read your book within a week and keep the receipt, they just changed their policy that let you bring back the book whenever you felt like it without a receipt, so you could bring back ANY book and claim that you bought it there. Or, if you have time, you can always read the books inside Barnes and Noble.
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I have real ethical problems with your B&N solution...that's why so many stores (like Target) have such restrictive return policies...if I want a free book, I'll go to the library (again, I have no problems with the library). If I want to own a book, I'll purchase it.
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raw wrote: The solution is Barnes and Noble, but make sure you read your book within a week and keep the receipt, they just changed their policy that let you bring back the book whenever you felt like it without a receipt, so you could bring back ANY book and claim that you bought it there. Or, if you have time, you can always read the books inside Barnes and Noble.
Over the years, I have frequently found books on the shelves that were extremely grubby. Once I even found one that had extensive notes written in it. -
Peanuts wrote: I have real ethical problems with your B&N solution...that's why so many stores (like Target) have such restrictive return policies...if I want a free book, I'll go to the library (again, I have no problems with the library). If I want to own a book, I'll purchase it.
Amazon used books are always a good deal for me. -
Amazon used books are great- you have an awesome selection, and can usually get em cheap! Often I've paid more for the shipping ($3.99) than for the book itself!
Regarding B&N: I had one bad experience with the 7th Ave. B&N Customer Service person in the summer. I asked her where I could find a certain book by a well-known author. The gal had no idea who the author was, first of all, which seemed odd for someone working in a bookstore, and much moreso for someone working the store's Info desk. She also didn't seem to care that she had no idea how to help me find the book; she did a perfunctory search on the computer but came up with nada, and she was quite snotty. Luckily I was accompanied by a gentleman friend who was smarter than both the young lady at the help desk and myself, for he turned a corner and found the book I sought, cleverly stacked in the "Bestseller Fiction" section. Der!
Anyway, if we lived in a sad world which did not include the great tool that is amazon used books online, I would take all of my business to the Community Bookstore on 7th. They gave me a review copy of a book once- it was so nice of them! The book I asked for wasn't in stock, and the nice lady there just went to the back and brought me the review copy, free of charge of course. -
thanks for the help - I want to continue using the library since my taxes pay for it and I go through books so quickly it doesn't make any fiscal sense to buy and hang onto them. I guess I'll just start reading the book I'm checking out while the girls at the counter finish talking!
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The teenagers at the desk aren't great - last time I was there, I left two books on the desk to return, then came back five minutes later with books to be checked out. Apparently one clerk handled the returns but didn't log off my account, so the other clerk couldn't get in on her terminal and was all "you don't seem to have an account here...I know you have a card, but you don't have an account." :shock: My old libe was the Cadman Plaza one, where the desk people were friendly and the help-desk guy on the second floor was great. PS is a real letdown.
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AnneBROoKlyn wrote: Amazon used books are great- you have an awesome selection, and can usually get em cheap! Often I've paid more for the shipping ($3.99) than for the book itself!
Another good source for cheap used books is Half.com -- same general idea as Amazon's used books. I usually check both sites to see who has the better price on something before I buy. -
My library used to be the Park Slope branch, but now is the Central branch at GAP. I wish I knew then what I know now: reserve, reserve, reserve. I just log into my library card account, look up the desired book, and place a hold on the title. The book gets pulled from a shelf, whether it be at my library or another branch, and put aside for me. I never have to worry about the horrid selection, and I'm in and out in a few minutes.
But yes - the Park Slope desk staff weren't the best... and I work as a (non-public library) librarian, so I've seen quite a few staff people over the years! However; it just might be whomever they hire to check out books - I've no experience with their librarians.
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meganlibrarian - mmmmmmm
You're a librarian? THAT"S SOOOOO HOT!
Shush me! . . . . Shush me again! .. . . . Harder!!!! -
gags2008 wrote: meganlibrarian - mmmmmmm
That's hilarious!
You're a librarian? THAT"S SOOOOO HOT!
Shush me! . . . . Shush me again! .. . . . Harder!!!!
meganlibrarian, have you checked out library mofo on livejournal? I'm just a book nerd but I love reading the entries.
http://community.livejournal.com/library_mofo/ -
caseopele wrote: [quote=gags2008]meganlibrarian - mmmmmmm
That's hilarious!
You're a librarian? THAT"S SOOOOO HOT!
Shush me! . . . . Shush me again! .. . . . Harder!!!!
meganlibrarian, have you checked out library mofo on livejournal? I'm just a book nerd but I love reading the entries.
http://community.livejournal.com/library_mofo/
I love that LJ community, and read it regularly. It makes me soooo glad that I don't work for a public library.
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